The Official Blog of Alabama Water Watch
By: Rachel McGuire
Alabama has approximately 57 miles of Gulf Coast beachfront and just over 600 miles of estuary and tidal coastline, providing plenty of opportunities for marine sportfishing. A hotspot for saltwater fishing is in Gulf Shores & Orange Beach that is known as the “Red Snapper capital of the World.” Fort Morgan is known for its premiere redfish fishery.
Continue reading “Marine Sportfish”by: Rachel McGuire
Alabama is known for its freshwater sportfishing scene. Sportfish, otherwise known as game species, are types of fish that are prized by anglers for the sport, and not exclusively for consumption.
Alabama sportfish can be divided into the following major groups: black bass, bream (or sunfish), crappie, temperate bass, pickerel, perch, and trout.
by: Rachel McGuire
Alabama is home to 49 species of snakes, 12 of which are considered aquatic. Snakes are legless, carnivorous reptiles covered in overlapping scales. While most snakes lay eggs, the aquatic snakes of Alabama are viviparous, meaning they give birth to live young. Snakes also shed their outer layer of skin periodically as they grow. Sometimes you can find the snake shed off a trail, near a creek, or simply on the forest floor.
Snakes may instill fear in many people; however, it is important to remember they are important members of our native wildlife community and serve a function to our precious ecosystems. When encountering a wild snake, be sure to give space, respect, and appreciation.
Continue reading “Aquatic Snakes & Gators”The fourth installment of our 12 Months of Aquatic Critters Blog Series is: freshwater turtles! Alabama is home to 31 species of freshwater turtles. That’s more than any other state!
Turtles have roamed the Earth for 220 million years. This diverse, but easily recognizable, group of reptiles has several common traits. All turtle species : 1) have a bony or leathery shell 2) have ribs fused to their shell and specialized neck muscles to ventilate their lungs 3) lack teeth and instead have a bony beak like modern birds and 4) are oviparous (meaning they lay eggs).
In all Alabama turtle species, the females dig a nest cavity with their hind feet. Turtles are long-lived creatures, with many species living 60-80 years or more. Females never lose their fertility, despite their longevity. Sexual dimorphism, or noticeable physical differences between males and females, is present in most turtle species. In fact, it is common for the females to grow larger than the males.
Humans have a long history of using turtles as a food source and, more recently, exploit turtles for the pet trade and hobby collections. Turtles win hearts regularly with their sheepish, yet oftentimes stately appearance. Just look at this face:
Read on for more facts about some of the turtle species that call Alabama home:
Continue reading “Freshwater Turtles”
Written by: Rachel McGuire
Our third installment of the 12 Months of Aquatic Critters blog series is Aquatic Amphibians! Amphibians are small vertebrates that need water or a moist environment to survive. This group of critters breathes and absorbs water through thin skin. The vast majority of amphibian larvae are aquatic and undergo metamorphosis (there are several forms!) to become terrestrial, semi-terrestrial, or aquatic adults.
Our second installation of the 12 Months of Aquatic Critters blog series features the diverse group of freshwater fishes known as darters!
Darters are a group of small, slender freshwater fish in the family Percidae (Perch family) that are native to eastern North America. Most live near the bottom of clear streams and “dart” quickly when disturbed or when feeding. Darters eat small aquatic insects (i.e. the critters highlighted in Caddisflies and EPT Friends), worms, and small crustaceans. Some darters are exceptionally showy with bright colors and patterns that rival most tropical fish available at your local pet shop! During the breeding season, male colors become even brighter, sometimes, even expanding to additional parts of the body. For most darters in Alabama, spawning season occurs from early spring to early summer.
There are a total of 80 species of Darters found in Alabama. Of those, several species are federally endangered (Boulder Darter, Rush Darter, Vermillion Darter, and Watercress Darter) or federally threatened (Goldline Darter, Slackwater Darter, and Trispot Darter) under the Endangered Species Act. Furthermore, there are 27 darters on the 2015 Alabama State Wildlife Action Plan‘s Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) List and one species, the Lipstick Darter, is on the Watch List for the SGCN.
We’ll introduce you to some of the rarer species below.
Alabama Water Watch is pleased to announce a 2023 update to the America’s Amazon poster, celebrating Alabama’s unmatched aquatic biodiversity!
The America’s Amazon poster and infographic was originally launched in 2016 from a collaboration between former AWW Program Director, Eric Reutebuch and a friend of AWW, Jennie Powers. Since then, additional aquatic species have been documented in Alabama.
3/3/2023 UPDATE: Printed posters (18″ x 24″) are now available to educators (formal and informal) in Alabama AND the general public. Fill out this form to be put on the waiting list. You will receive a follow-up by email with additional information and payment options. We will process the waiting list weekly with follow-up emails.
Approved educators are eligible for one complimentary poster. All other posters are $15/each. A flat $10 shipping fee will apply to all posters that are mailed up to 3 posters total. Please note these particular donations are not tax-deductible.
Continue reading “America’s Amazon Poster – 2023 Update”Those of you familiar with the Alabama Water Watch program may not be surprised that the first article of the 12 Months of Aquatic Critters blog series features the critter on our logo: the caddisfly!
Caddisflies are a large group of insects with an aquatic larval stage. There are around 1,500 species of caddisfly in North America alone and over 14,000 species worldwide. Caddisflies are an important food source for many freshwater fish. In fact, both larval and adult caddisflies are often imitated as lures in fly fishing. Caddisflies can be found in a variety of colors including gray, brown, purplish brown, yellowish tan, and green. These critters have a low tolerance for water pollution and are typically found in higher quality sites with medium to fast-moving water.
The America’s Amazon Poster, originally produced in 2016, has been updated in late 2022 to reflect current aquatic biodiversity in Alabama.
The following is a suggested reading list to learn more about Alabama’s unmatched aquatic biodiversity:
There is incredible biodiversity in the state of Alabama – including freshwater snails, mussels, fish, and turtles. However, much of our biodiversity remains enigmatic. One group of organisms we lack critical information about are freshwater red macroalgae. Though rarely truly red in color, they provide food and habitat for macroinvertebrates and may serve as indicators of good water quality. However, they are not included in current biodiversity surveys in Alabama. To better understand the ecological role and potential usefulness of these algae as bioindicators, we first need to figure out where to find them.
This is where Alabama Water Watch monitors come in! We are asking for your help in identifying potential freshwater red algal habitat by taking photos of freshwater streams including your monitoring sites. The Krueger-Hadfield Lab will examine the photographs to assess whether they may provide good freshwater red habitat and to determine if they should be included in their surveys. In the future, they plan to provide training and supplies for interested AWW monitors to collect and send algal samples to the Krueger-Hadfield Lab at The University of Alabama at Birmingham.
How to submit your photo:
FAQ’s:
Q: Do you have to be an AWW Volunteer Monitor to participate?
A: NO! Anyone can participate!
Q: What if I see something that looks like red algae at the waterbody?
A: Take a photo and submit that in the Red Algal Citizen Science Google Form at the same time as your site photo.
Q: Do I have to return the waterbody to take another photo at a later date? (i.e. next month, next year)
A: No, one photo is enough for now. The Krueger-Hadfield lab will get in touch with you if they are interested in a follow-up photo of your site.
Q: Can I submit a photo of any freshwater stream?
A: Yes! Any flowing freshwater stream will be appropriate for this project.
If you’d like to learn more about freshwater red algae and the Red Algal Citizen Science Project at UAB, view the 3-1-2022 webinar recording, “Red Algal Citizen Science: A Search for Alabama’s Unknown Red Algal Biodiversity“.